Happy Friday! It's going to be toasty the next several days, so make sure you're staying hydrated!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, Feb. 27; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Record highs in jeopardy across Arizona
We avoided the 90s across much of the Valley yesterday, but today is a different story.
Expect highs around 94°, potentially breaking the daily record and becoming the hottest February temperature ever at Sky Harbor.
Zipps Sports Grill hiring manager to plead guilty following HSI raids
A hiring manager at Zipps Sports Grill is pleading guilty to charges following January's federal raids of all Valley locations.
On Thursday, ABC15 obtained court documents showing 36-year-old Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales decided to plead guilty as part of an agreement.
Gonzalez-Rosales is pleading guilty to unlawful transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification, a Class C felony.
See previous coverage in the video player above
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the arrests came after a year-long investigation into unlawful employment, identity theft, and document fraud.
Phoenix VA triples infusion space in major upgrade for cancer, infusion patients
The Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) is in the midst of a major construction project that will more than triple its infusion center space, expanding capacity from nine to 22 treatment chairs as part of a broader, multi-billion-dollar nationwide investment in veterans’ care.
PVAHCS Executive Director Elijah Ditter said the new infusion center, now under construction inside the decades‑old main hospital tower, will grow from about 6,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet and is expected to be completed next year.
“The project you’re in here is our new infusion center,” Ditter said during a walkthrough of the construction site.
“Chemotherapy is the biggest one, but there’s a lot of other options, such as arthritis, a lot of gastrointestinal for say, Crohn’s disease and infusions prior to surgery. And we’re expanding this space from nine chairs to 22 chairs.”
The work is part of roughly $4.8 billion in funding the Department of Veterans Affairs has allocated for maintenance, modernization, and renovations across its facilities nationwide. Ditter called it a “historic amount of funding” that is helping the Phoenix VA keep pace with surging demand.
Tempe students say overnight construction noise is costing them sleep
Tempe is growing fast, with multiple high-rise projects reshaping the downtown skyline. But for students living nearby, that growth is coming with sleepless nights.
Arizona State University students living along 7th Street say construction noise is continuing well into the night, disrupting sleep, school, and work schedules.
“I am a scholarship recipient and I am on the dean’s list, so keeping up my grades is very important to me,” Natalie Stoner said. “It’s difficult to do when I can’t even get a full night’s rest.”
Under Tempe city code, construction after 7 p.m. requires an approved overnight work permit. Developers must outline how they will limit noise and explain why nighttime work is necessary.
Stephanie Hockridge to remain out of prison until June
Former Phoenix news anchor Stephanie Hockridge can remain out of prison until June 1 before starting her sentence in the Blueacorn paycheck protection program loan fraud case.
Hockridge, who worked as an ABC15 news anchor from 2011 to 2018, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2025. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison in late November.
Hockridge was released from custody with an ankle monitor after her sentencing and was initially ordered to surrender to prison on December 30. Since then, the judge has granted multiple extensions.
Her husband, Nathan Reis, who pleaded guilty in the case, surrendered for his 10-year prison sentence on February 2.
